66th VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

 Several film festivals top the list in terms of exposure and prestige, especially for indies. In North America, Toronto takes the prize. Overseas, Berlin and Venice are generally considered the cream of the crop. The Berlin Film Festival took place earlier this year. The 66th Venice International Film Festival will be unspooling from September 2-12, just prior to the Toronto International Film Festival (which opens on September 10).

“The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote all the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance,” according to their mission statement. “The Festival will include retrospectives and homages to major figures as a contribution towards raising awareness of the history of cinema.”

Sections include:

Venezia 66 - International competition of feature films, presented as world premieres
Out of Competition - Important works by directors already established in past editions of the Festival
Orizzonti - The new trends in world cinema
Controcampo Italiano - The new trends in Italian cinema
Corto Cortissimo - International competition of short films

The independent and parallel sections include:

International Critics’ Week - A series of 7 or 8 films, debut works, independently selected by a commission nominated by the National Syndicate of Italian Film Critics).
Giornate degli Autori - Venice Days - A series of 10-12 films independently organized by a commission nominated by the Italian Association of Film-makers (ANAC - Associazione Nazionale Autori Cinematografici) and by the Association of Independent Directors and Producers (API - Associazione Autori e Produttori Indipendenti).